Cup dispenser



i Jan. 5, 1932. C, BARBlERl 1,839ri637 CUP DISPENSER Filed Dec. 14, 1929 I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 5, 1932. c. BARBIERI 1,839,637

CUP DISPENSER Filed Dec. 14, 1929 3 SheebS--Sheetl I5 1 VE-su z/C-u f Cesa re arba' e ra' atented 59 1232 CESE IERI, F NEW YORK, N'. Y., ASSXGNORTO VORTEX GUE COMPANY, 0F

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A COREOBATION. 0F DELAWARE @UP DIENSER Application led December 14, 1929. Serial No. 413,960,

rlhis invention relates to dispensers designed particularly for dispensing unflanged exible conical drinking cups.

One of the important objects of the ingvention is to produce a dispenser which is of the ordinary ca acity but which is eX- ceedingly light, an therefore, particularly desirable and advantageous in the aviation field for use on aircraft where lightness is a an very essential factor.

A further im ortant object is to produce such light weig t dispenser by having the parte thereof in the form of castings, die products, or tubing of some light material,

E5 auch as aluminum, or by forming up the parts from light sheet metal, such as tin ate.1 p A further object is to have the cup suportin dispensing and escapement teeth a@ orme integral with one of the dispenser parts, preferably by deflection from the sides thereof.

A still further object is to reduce the numberof parts to a minimum and to make their 525 manufacture and production simple and economical, in order to produce an efficient dispenser which can be sold for a very reasonable price, as for example, for household use.

rl'he above enumerated and other importm ant features of my invention are incorporated in the structure disclosed in the drawings in which:

Figure l is a front elevation of one form or" dispenser embodying `features of my invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged diametrical section on plane H-H of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on plane Ill-1H of Figure .2;

Figure 4 is a front elevation lof another :form of dispenser; l

Figure 5 is an enlarged diametrical section on plane V-V of Figure et;

Figure 6 is a section on plane V--V of Figure 5; y

Figure 7 is a plan view of a conical cup supporting base showing the manner in which cups 4are Withdrawn from the dise@ pensing teeth;

Figure 8 is a section on plane VIILTH of Figure 7; and

Figure 9 is a plan view of a modified form of cup supporting base.

The form of dispenser illustrated in Figg@ ures 1 to 3 comprises a stack supporting and cup dispensing base 10 having upper and lower circumferential rows or zones of supporting and dispensing teeth 11 and`12 respectively. This base may be an ordinary @Q casting, or a die casting7 or may be a length of tubin with the teeth deflected therefrom, and pre erably a light metal, such as aluminum, is used. When formed ot a length. of tubing, the upper teeth 1l are deflected ,55 therefrom to extend radially inwardly and are preferably regularly spaced apart cir-l cumferentially. Such deflection of the teeth leaves the openings 13, and the teeth at their inner ends are preferably rounded horizon- 79 tally, as clearly shown in Figure 3. The lower end of the tube is primarily cut to leanv i the teeth 12 and then the lower end of the tube with the teeth thereon is delected radiall inwardly, so that the teeth 12 extend W5 ra ially, and the inner ends of these teeth are also preferably rounded horizontally and may, as shown, be spaced to be in vertical alignment with the respective teeth 11, or the teeth 11 and l2 may be relatively staggered s@ or circumferentially offset. The upper teeth 11 are preferably a distance below the upper ed e of the hase.

, panning the base is a yoke le which at its ends receives the diagonally opposite truna5 nion studs 14 and 16 extending radially from the base and hearin nuts 17 and 18 outside ot the yoke legs for a justing the frictional engagernent of the hase with the yoke. Extending upwardly form the back of the yoke is a bracket 19 havin holes 2O by means of which it may be secure to a suitable support. The upper end 2l of the bracket extends forwardly and terminates in a slotJ 22 above the axis of the base 10 The enclosing cover or container for the stack'of cups supported upon the u per dispensing teeth 11 is in the form of a cy indrical shell, which may he a length of tubing pre'- erably of a light metal such as aluminum. mit

The container is secured at its lower end in a ferrule 24 which ma be a casting or a short length of tubing. his ferrule ts into the base above the teeth 11 and has the annular overhanging shoulder 25 for engaging with the upper ed e of the base to t us seat the container on t e base in axial alignment therewith. The upper end of the container is closed by a cover 26 which has a lug 27 extending u wardly therefrom and adapted to enter the s ot 22 t'o be thereby guided into accurate position relative to the bracket 19. A flat spring 28 is secured at its rear end on the eX- tension 21 of the bracket and above the slot 22 has` a hole 29 for receiving the bead or nub 30 on top of the lug 27 in order to yieldably lock the cup container in vertical position on the bracket. The front end 31 of the spring is rounded to facilitate engagement thereof by the fingers. The container structure, together with base, can thus be tilted forwardl after the spring has been raised to release t e nub 30 and then the cover 23 can be removed from the base to `receive a fresh charge of cups. After loadin ,the container structure is swun rearward y and the lug 27, by engaging in t e slot 22, will guide such movement, and, when the nub 30 reaches the hole 29, the spring will drop against the bracket stop 21 and will lock the container structure in proper vertical dispensing position. A section is preferably punched out of the lower end of the bracket 19 to form a stop abutment 32 to be engaged b the base when the structure is swung orwardly,

in order to limit such forward swing. A'

7`bezel frame 33 may be applied to the front of the cover 23 over an opening 34 and supports a pane of glass 35 or other transparent material through which it may be readily ascertained when the device requires re lenishing with cnw. The escapement and ispens- 4ing operation of the cups will be referred to hereinafter.

In the modified form of'dispenser illustrated in the Figures 4, 5, and 6, a single cylindrical shell 36 provides for supporting and enclosing the cups. The shell may be formed from a rectangular piece of light 5@ sheet metal, such as tin plate, from which the up er teeth 37 and the lower end teeth 38 have een defiected, the plate being then bent into cylindrical Aform with its edges secured together as b seaming indicated at 39,

with the upper an lower teeth then extending radially inwardly. The upper end of the container is provided with a detachable cover 46 having a knob 41, and this cover can be readily removed for the insertion of a stack of conical cups. A T-shaped bracket or supporting frame 42 preferably of sheet metal, is secured to the container, its upper laterally extendin arms having screw,or nail holes 43 at their outer ends and the vertical leg of the frame having a screw or nail hole 44 at its' lower end so that the device may be readily secured to a supporting wall.

The dis nser disclosed in Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, bing of aluminumv and, therefore, very strong, substantial and very light, 1s particularly fitted and desirable for installation on aircraft, where lightness is a very essential factor. The form of dispenser disclosed in Figures 4, 5, and 6 is also very light, yet substantial, and can be economically manufactured to be sold at a very reasonable price for household or other uses, where the more expensive types of dispensers are not desired.

Figures 7 and 8 show a supporting base 45 in the form of a sheet metal cylindrical ring or annulus having upper and lower escapement and dispensing teeth 46 and 47 deflected radially inwardly therefrom. The base ma be formed from a length of sheet metal tu ing or from avfiat sheet metal blank rolled to circular form, and, instead of providing a supporting bracket as shown in igures 2 and 5, a short bracket is secured to the side of the base with radially extending flanges 49 and 50 at its ends. To support the base on a wall, a U-shaped bracket or socket member 51 is provided whose ends 52 and 53 are deflected to receive between them the flanges 49 and 50 of the bracket 48 on the base, the base flan es being slid downwardlybetween the wall racket flanges. In order to limit the applying movement and afford a positive seat or the base, lateral wings 54 and 55 are provided at the upper ends of the flanges 49 and 50, which wings extend across and against the top of the wall bracket flanges v 52 and 53, to thus securely seat the base. The

bracket 48 may-be brazed or welded to the base ring, and, when the base ring is rolled from a lflat piece of sheet metal, the bracket i can be secured across the ends of the rings and form a tie plate therefor.

In Figure 9 a modified arrangement is shown, the base 56 being rolled up from a sheet metal plate into substantially circular form, with its end sections 57 and 58 extended radially to be slid vertically'into socket engagement with a wall bracket 59, the wings 60 and 61 being formed at the upper end of the flanges 57 and 58 to seat against the top of the wall bracket flanges. The base has upper and lower circumferential rows of dispensing teeth 62 and 63 deflected therefrom.

In Figures 7 and 8, I show the manner in which a stack of conical cu s is supported on the upper row or zone of ispensing teeth, and the manner in which the lowermost cup is withdrawn and dispensed from the stack. The figures of the upper zone project into the path of the stack and engage with the lowermost cup a short` distance below its upper edge whereby to support the stack. The teeth or fingers are rigid and unyielding, so that, when the lowermost cup is pulled downwardly, its conical wall will be deected inassess? wardly by the teeth and will bulge outwardly into the spaces between the teeth, as illustrated in Figure 7 such deflection and bulging easing the withdrawal movement of the cup past the teeth and separation thereof from the stack, and, as soon as the lowermost cup has cleared the teeth of the upper zone, these teeth will engage with the next cup and support the stack thereby. A lower zone of teeth is not absolutely essential but is provided as a precautionary measure in case one or more cups should follow the lowermost cup which is being ulled downwardly. Should any such cups ollow the will be retained by the lower zone of teet as the lowermost `)cup is finally withdrawn. The distance of the up er zone of teeth above the lower end of t e base is such that the lowermost cup will extend a sucient distance beyond the lower end to be readily grasped for withdrawal.

It is evident that on the base structures disclosed in Fi res 7, 8, and 9, a container or closure mm r may be rovided for the stack above the base. Suc closure structure could be like that disclosed in Figure 2 or the closure could form a continuation of the base and be inte al therewith, as in the structure shown in igure 5.

It is to be understood that, although I have shown and described several practical and eicient embodiments of the features ofxny invention, the invention is not limited thereto, but only in so far as defined by the scope and terms of the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In a cup dispenser, a supporting base for a stack of u right flexible cups, said base being a cylin rical shell formed from a single piece of light sheet metal, a zone of teeth a distance below the up r edge of the base deilected therefrom, an extendin radially inwardly, said teeth supporting t e stack and controllin the withdrawal therefrom one at a time of t e cups, and a second zone of teeth below said upper zone and constituting c ontinuations of the lower edge of said base and deflected so as to extend radially inwardly, said second zone serving to retain and prevent dispensing with the withdrawn cup of any other cup or cups which may have followed the wlthdrawn cup past the upper l.

zone of teeth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed m name at New York, New York County, ew York. v

CESARE BARBIERI. 

